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Monday, February 16, 2015

Weekly Update #180

Editor's NoteSo I was at Capricon this weekend and to be honest, it was kind of a disappointment. I wasn't interested in the panels that were offered and attendance at the panels I was on, even from the panelists, was low. O well, maybe it will be better next year.

A new book that is making the Internet rounds is Viola Carr's The Diabolical Miss Hyde. Here is the description from Amazon:

Forensic science, magic, mystery, and romance mix in this edgy steampunk fantasy—a retelling of the horror classic, in which Dr. Eliza Jekyll, daughter of the infamous Dr. Henry Jekyll—pursues a dangerous murderer in an alternate Victorian London.In an electrified Victorian London, Dr. Eliza Jekyll is a crime scene investigator, hunting killers with newfangled technological gadgets. She will need every advantage available to catch a terrifying new psychopath splattering London with blood. Hidden in the grimy shadows, the fiendish murderer preys on beautiful women, drugging them before slicing off their limbs. Finding the “Slicer” can make Eliza’s career . . . or unmask her darkest secret. Like her father, she has a hidden second self that emerges when she drinks his forbidden magical elixir. Just a few sips, and a seductive and impulsive Lizzie Hyde is unleashed.The members of the Royal Society do not trust Eliza, and they send their enforcer, the mercurial Captain Lafayette, to prove she’s a dangerous sorceress. The careful doctor knows that one wrong step can make her prey to the clever Lafayette, a man who harbors an evil curse of his own. No matter how much she craves the elixir, she must resist.But as the Slicer case draws her into London’s luminous magical underworld, Eliza will need the potion’s power to help her . . . even if it might attract the attentions of Lafayette. .Even if it means setting the wild Lizzie free. . . .

Carr has been doing a lot of promotion for her new novel. At SF Signal she wrote a guest post discussing magic and science and she stopped by The Qwillery to give an interview. If you happen to check out The Diabolical Miss Hyde, let us know what you thought in the comments.

Crusader Kings II Celebrates Its Three Year Anniversary

This weekend, Paradox Development Studio is marking the third anniversary of its medieval grand strategy game Crusader Kings II. Since its release in February 2012, Crusader Kings II has sold 1.1 million copies of the base game and over 2.5 million copies of its various expansions. If you include the cosmetic DLC for sale, that adds up to over 8 million add-ons for the base game. Over the last year of its lifetime, Crusader Kings II is still averaging over a hundred thousand monthly active users on Steam. Paradox also released this infographic of the game's history:

“We continue to be overwhelmed by the popularity of Crusader Kings II,” says lead designer Henrik Fahraeus. “For many thousands of people, this is their first Paradox game, and people continue to tell us about the rise and fall of their dynasties and empires. Our games at PDS have always been about stories, but Crusader Kings II gives you characters sometimes doing petty things on a grand stage. I think people like that.”

To celebrate this anniversary, Paradox is offering a week’s worth of special discounts on a selection of Crusader Kings II related products at the official webstore and select partners.

Videos for Alternate HistoriansWe end the week as usual with some more alternate history videos. We begin with this video with Book Riot which recommends several books to read for Black History Month:

And we end with Kinda Funny checking out the the alternate history of The Order: 1886:

Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a blogger on Amazing Stories. Check out his short fiction. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter.